Importing customizations with IE 7.0

Lately I have been having a lot of issues importing customizations. When trying an import, the dialog would never close, no matter how long I left it running.

I originally assumed the recent Rollup 1 update caused the problem. Therefore my workaround was to just import a couple entities at a time, wait a bit, and manually close dialog. In most instances, my changes actually made it into the database.

However, today I got fed up when this workaround failed and I finally contacted Microsoft Support. It turns out the failed import is a known issue with IE 7.0 and Microsoft CRM. Even better,  there is knowledge base article (KB #927667) describing the issue and a hotfix that solves the problem altogether. If you contact Microsoft Support they will provide you the hotfix free of charge (and usually within a few hours). I want to thank Shaun of Microsoft Support for assisting me.

Here are the details of the hotfix (I had trouble finding the article today on PartnerSource):

The Import Customizations Web page does not close as expected when you try to import customizations in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 after you install Internet Explorer 7

SYMPTOMS

You install Windows Internet Explorer 7. Then, you try to import customizations in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0. However, the Import Customizations Web page does not close as expected after you click Import All Customizations or Import Selected Customizations. Additionally, the import process is not completed.

RESOLUTION

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, it is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 service pack that contains this hotfix.
To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Customer Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

File information

The English version of this hotfix package has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Installation information

Install this hotfix on computers that are running Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 server.
After you apply this hotfix, you must delete the cache in Internet Explorer 7. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Start Internet Explorer 7.

2. Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.

3. Under Browsing history, click Delete on the General tab.

4. Next to Temporary Internet Files, click Delete files.

5. Click Yes when you receive the following message:

Are you sure you want to delete all temporary Internet Explorer files?